Refrigerating apparatus



J. G. KING REFRIGERAT ING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb; 6, 192a Oct. 27, 1931. J. G. KIVNG 1,829,404

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JESSE G. KING, DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, IBT' HESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO IBIGIDAIB CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OI DELAWARE nm-arennarme APPARATUS Application filed February 6, 1926. Serial No. 86,589.

This invention relates to cooling units for mechanical refrigerators.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compact evaporator having a relae-tively large lieat absorbing surface and a comparatively small refrigerant capacity. In carrying out my invention, I provide a finned section which forms the greater part of the horizontal length of the evaporator,

. 10 and, in order to insure the cooling of the entire length of this finned section, I provide long slender horizontally extending refrigerant conveving tubes, which form the major heat transfer portions of the evaporator con- -tact with the refrigerant. and intimately connect these tubes with the fins of the section.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved form of cooling unit for large commercial refrigerators. By providing wide sheet metal fins on the cooling ducts the effective cooling area of the unit may be so increased that the usual brine tank may be eliminated and the air to be cooled permitted to flow directly over the cooling unit.

The arrangement of the fins is such that air may circulate therethrough with the minieflicient cooling obtained.

Further obiects and advantages of thepresent invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: 7 a Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cooling unit built according to this inventionand adapted .for large size commercial refrigerators. w Fig. 2 is a front view of Fig- 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a cooling unit similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 except the cooling fins. are omitted.

Fig. 4 is a nlan view of Fig. 3. I Fig. 5'is a front elevation of Fig. 3. In the drawings, similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the sev-' eral views.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, numeral designates the cylindrical header ortank which serves as-areservoir for liquid refrigerant and contains a,suitable constant level float valve 13 therein. Liquid refrigerant is led into tank 10 through duct 11 and the vaporized refrigerant returned through duct 12 to any suitable and well known type of compressor unit which may be locatedin any suitable place outside the cold chamberof the refrigerator.

A series of refrigerant conveying tubes having long horizontal runs are provided. The tubes have the outer ends connected to form duct loops 15 which are connected in parallel to the header or tanklO at a point below the liquid level therein so that said loops are filled with liquid refrigerant during normal operation. The front depending legs 16 of loops 15 extend radially outward from tank 10 and then vertically downward as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The long horizontally extending tubes or portions 17 and 18 of each loop 15 preferablylie vertically one above the other. The rear depending legs 19 also project radially to the cylindrical tank 10 and are therefore substantially aligned with the frontvlegs 16. It is thus fclear that the loops 15 are substantially uniformly distrib- 'mum amount of obstruction and hence more uted in a space of much greater lateral dimensions than the tank 10 and of any longitudinal dimension which may be desired to suit the size of the compartment in which the cooling unit is placed or to give the desired cooling area to the entire unit. The loops 15 are preferably made of seamless copper tubes which are flattened throughout except at the points of connection with the tank 10. This flattening of the tubes materially decreases the weight of liquid refrigerant required to fill the group of loops 15 but does not decrease the cooling surface of said loops. A

further advantage of flattening the tubes lies in the fact that the lateral spacing thereof is increased and hence better circulation of air therethrough obtained especially when frost on the outside of said tubes would otherwise tend to materially restrict this circulation;

Sheet metal fins 20 and 21 preferably of copper, are soldered or brazed to the horizontal portions 17 and 18 of loops 15 to greatly increase the effective cooling area thereof and v the major heat transfer portion of the evaporator which is in contact with the liquid re-.

- shown in Fig. 1. The loops are held in rigid spaced relation by two or more tie bands 33, which preferably are firmly soldered to the tubes at such points as needed to hold the group of loops sufficiently rigid.

The width of the fins 20 and 21 is preferably such that during normal operation frost will not accumulate thereon to the outer edges thereof during the period of operation of the refrigerant compressor unit. Therefore during the idle period of the compressor the unfrosted or freely exposed portions of the fins will cause a rapid defrosting of the frosted portions. By thus partly or completcly defrosting the unit at each cycle of the compressor operation, a much more rapid and efficient heat transfer is obtained, as will now be clear to those skilled in the art.

Thus it will be seen that the finned section. comprising the fins 20 and 21 and tubes 17 and 18. provides themain heat transfer section of the evaporator, and. the long horizontal tubes 17 and 18.; although they contain only a small quantity of refrigerant. provide frigerant. By this arrangement a long horizontal evaporator of the flooded type is effectively cooled throughout the entire length thereof by a relatively small amount of ref igerant. i

The second form of the invention ,shown in Figs. 3. 4 and 5 is similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 except that the fins have been omitted. The reference characters used on Figs. 3. 4 and 5. designate corresponding parts to the first form described in detail hereinabove. Fig. 4 shows particularly the staggered arrangement of. the connections of duct legs 16 and 19 to the tank 10. All the loops 15 are first bent up to the same dimensions thereby eifecting economies in manufacture. The staggered arrangement of the connections of loops 15 to tank 10 permits the distance between the two legs 16.and 19 of each loop to be the same for all the loops, as will be clear from the drawin Of course the legs 16 and 19 are bent laterally varying amounts to give the end vlew arrangement shown clearly in Fig. 5. but this lateral bending is very easily done after the loops 15 are all first bent up to the sha e of the central loop 15 which has no lateral bending of its vertical legs.

It is apparent from the disclosure that vaporization or boiling takes place in both the .upper and lower legs 18 and 17 and it is also apparent that should the tubes be flattened or pinched accidentally or on purpose, as is often the case, boilin will still take place on both sides of the attened portion andthe loop 15 will function as two separate tubes.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A cooling unit for mechanical refrigerators comprising. an elongated header containing a quantity of volatile liquid refrigerating beyond said header, and metal fins thermally connected along the horizontal portion of said loops.

3. A cooling unit for mechanical refrigerators comprising: an elongated header containing a quantity of volatile liquid refrigerating medium, a series of duct loops depending from said header and connected thereto in parallel for circulating such medium, said loops'projecting longitudmally be? yond-said header. 1

4. A cooling unit for mechanical refrlgerators comprising: anelongated header, 9. series of duct loops depending from said header and connected thereto in parallel, said loops projectin g longitudinally beyond 'sald header, said loops being spaced laterally so that the lateral width of. said unit is considerably greater than that of said header.

5. A cooling unit for mechanical refrigerators comprising: an elongated header, a series of duct loops depending from said header and connected thereto in parallel, saidloops p'rojecting longitudinally beyond said header, said loops leading off from said headerm a radial manner whereby the lateral spacing of said loops is greatly increased.

6. A cooling unit for mechanical refrigerators comprising: an elongated header, a group of duct loops depending from said header and individually connected to the'bottom thereof bottom thereof in. parallel. said group of loops extending first downwardl from said header and then horizontally longitudinally thereof.

8. An evaporator disposed in the path of air for directly cooling the air, said evaporator comprising a finned section forming the uid refrigerant, said tubes being connected With the header for receiving liquid refrigerant from and for discharging gaseous refrigerant to the header.

9. An evaporator disposed in the path of air for directly cooling the air, said evaporator comprising a finned section forming the greater part of the horizontal length of theevaporator. said finned section including a plurality of vertically extending fins and a plurality of long slender and horizontally disposed refrigerant conveying tubes each being a portion of a loop, the horizontal portions of the loops being intimately connected with the fins and forming the major heat transfer portion of the evaporator contacting with the refrigerant, and a header containing a quantity of volatile liquid refrigerant, the ends of the loops being connected in fluid exchange relation with the header.

10. An evaporator disposed in the path of air for directly cooling the air, said evaporator comprising/a plurality of horizontally disposed refrigerant conveying tubes forming the greater part of the horizontal length of the evaporator and forming the major heat transfer portion of the evaporator contacting with the refrigerant, a plurality of vertically extending fins intimately connected with the tubes, a header containing a quantity of volatile liquid refrigerant, said tubes being connected with the header for receiving liquid refrigerant from and for discharging gaseous refrigerant to the header.

11. An evaporator disposed in the path of air for directly cooling the air, said evaporator comprising a plurality of horizontally disposed refrigerant conveying tubes each being a portion of the loop and forming the greater part of the horizontal length of the evaporator, the horizontal tubes forming the major heat transfer portion of the evaporator contacting with the refrigerant a plurality of vertically extending fins intimately connected with the tubes, a header containexchange relation with the header.

12. An evaporator disposed in the path of air for directly cooling the air, said evaporator comprising a header containing a quantity of volatile liquid refrigerant, a finned section of greater over-all dimension than the header including a plurality of vertically extending fins and a plurality of long slender refrigerant conveying tubes connected with the header for receiving liquid refrigerant from and for discharging gaseous refrigerant to the header, the horizontal portions forming the major heat transfer portion of the evaporator contacting with the refrigerant said tubes each having a long horizontally disposed portion, and said fins being intimately connected with the horizontally disposed portions, some of said tubes extending radially outwardly of the header for cooling the extended portions of the finned section.

13. An evaporator disposed in the path of air for direcly cooling the air, said evaporator comprising a header containing a quantity of volatile liquid refrigerant, a finned section of greater over-all dimension than the header including a plurality of vertically extending fins and a plurality of long slender refrigerant conveying tubes connect ed with the header for receiving liquid refrigerant from and for discharging gaseous refrigerant to the header. said tubes each having a long horizontally disposed portion, the horizontal portions forming the major heat transfer portion of the evaporator contacting with the refrigerant and said fins being intimately connected with the horizontallv disposed portions, some of said tubes being spread outwardly beyond the confines of the header for cooling the extended portion of the finned section.

14. An evaporator disposed in the path of air for directly cooling theair, said evaporator comprising a header containing a quantity of volatile liquid refrigerant, a finned section of greater over-all dimension than the header including a plurality of vertically extending fins and a plurality of long slender refrigerant conveying tubes forming loops, each having the ends thereof connected with the header in fluid exchange relation, said tubes each having a long hor izontally disposed portion, the horizontal portions forming the major heat transfer portion of the evaporator contacting with the refrigerant and said fins being intimate- 1y connected with the horizontally disposed portions, some of said tubes being spread outwardly beyond the confines of the header for cooling the extended portion of the finned section.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

' JESSE G. KING. 

